The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998636
THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 129 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT It's been seven years since the last time Michigan played Western Michigan. In that time, the Broncos entered the national spot- light with a trip to the Cotton Bowl after the 2016 season, where they lost a close one to Wisconsin. Following a 6-6 campaign last year — where the team was spurned from postseason play, despite being eligible — Western Michigan is on a mission to stay relevant, something a win at Michigan Sta- dium would do. Western Michigan is a much different team than it was two years ago and is now coached by Tim Lester, who came to the school after brief stints on the staffs at Pur- due and Syracuse, following six years as a head coach in Divisions II and III. He played quarterback for the Broncos from 1996-99. The offense will be led by redshirt junior quarterback Jon Wassink, who is set to be the starter again after an injury he suffered forced him to miss the final four games of last season. He completed 64.3 percent of his passes — which led the Mid-American Conference at the time of his injury — for 1,411 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also brings some mobility to the table, running for 126 yards and three scores. Wassink will have his top five wide receiv- ers all back and one of two tight ends that saw significant playing time last season. Fifth-year senior Odell Miller will anchor the tight end spot, though he's been a block- ing specialist thus far in his career. Redshirt junior Giovanni Ricci is expected to move from wide receiver to tight end, according to The Battle Creek Enquirer, after catching 12 passes for 100 yards last season. At wide receiver, it'll be a three-man show for the most part, starting with junior D'Wayne Eskridge. He was the team's lead- ing receiver last year, catching 30 balls for 506 yards and three scores. Redshirt junior Keishawn Watson led the squad in catches, hauling in 41 passes for 374 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns. Those two will be supplemented by redshirt junior Anton Curtis, who started six games and had 211 receiving yards. The offensive line returns four starters, with only Chukwuma Okorafor departing. He's a huge loss, however. Okorafor was a two-time first-team All-MAC left tackle and a first-team All-American according to the Football Writers Association of American, and was drafted in the third round this spring by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Senior center John Keenoy will be the new anchor of the line after being named first-team All-MAC last year. He's started at center in all 37 games of his career. Redshirt junior right guard Luke Juriga was second- team All-MAC in 2017, giving the Broncos another quality returner. Another key performer Western Michigan must replace is running back Jarvion Frank- lin, who was a two-time first-team All-MAC and one-time second-team All-MAC player. He rushed for 1,228 yards and 11 touch- downs in 2017. Fifth-year senior Jamauri Bogan and red- shirt junior Levante Bellamy are expected to take over the running back position as a com- mittee. They combined for 983 yards and six touchdowns last year behind Franklin. On defense, Western Michigan will be without Darius Phillips, who starred at cor- nerback and on special teams. Senior Sam Beal was expected to be the No. 1 corner, but it was reported in early June he would enter the NFL Supplemental Draft because he wouldn't be academically eligible this fall. One NFL scout told Yahoo Sports he is a second-round talent. The Broncos also lose their top three tack- lers from 2017 — all three starting linebackers — but return a pair of starting defensive line- men and two key members of the secondary. Playing in The Big House shouldn't shake the Broncos much — they're used to playing in loud environments on the road. Last year, they played at USC and at Michigan State. In 2016, they beat both Northwestern and Illinois on the road. A bowl game appearance should be ex- pected this fall, but an upset in Ann Arbor would still be a tall order for this WMU team. Notes Western Michigan would have had a third defensive line- man returning, but senior Steven Clark was declared medi- cally ineligible prior to spring practice … Sophomore kicker Josh Grant returns after making 15 of 23 fields in 2017; he was the No. 5 kicker nationally in 2017 according to Korn - blue Kicking … Former Michigan wide receiver/defensive back Drake Harris now plays for the Broncos after leaving U-M as a graduate transfer. ❏ The Broncos Are Ready For The Challenge At The Big House 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Aug. 31 Syracuse — Sept. 8 at Michigan — Sept. 15 Delaware State — Sept. 22 at Georgia State — Sept. 29 at Miami (Ohio) — Oct. 6 Eastern Michigan W, 20-17 (OT) Oct. 13 at Bowling Green — Oct. 20 at Central Michigan L, 35-28 Oct. 25 Toledo L, 37-10 Nov. 1 Ohio — Nov. 13 at Ball State W, 55-3 Nov. 20 Northern Illinois L, 35-31 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Jamauri Bogan, 5th- Sr., RB — Played in nine games last season, starting two, before suffering a season-ending injury … Had 112 carries for 589 yards and three touchdowns … Enters 2018 expected to return to a start- ing role and ranks No. 8 in school history with 2,563 yards … In 2017, he ran for 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against USC, while he eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in 2016 against both Northwestern (103, 1 TD) and Illinois (189, 2 TD). Defense: Justin Tranquill, R-Jr., S — Suffered a season-ending in- jury in game two against Michigan State last season … Began the year as a starter after starting all 14 games in 2016 as a freshman … Recorded 89 tackles in 2016, sec- ond most on the squad. Redshirt junior quarterback Jon Wassink started eight games last year before a sea- son-ending injury. In that time, he threw for 14 touchdowns, rushed for three scores and caught a pair of touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY WESTERN MICHIGAN WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS • SEPT. 8 • GAME 2 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 6-0 First Meeting: U-M 17, WMU 13 (Oct. 10, 1917, at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 34, WMU 10 (Sept. 3, 2011, at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Tim Lester, 6-6 at Western Michigan (2nd year) and 46-29 overall (8th year, includes Divi - sion II and III head coaching records) 2017 In Review: 6-6 overall, 4-4 MAC Final 2017 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 13 (8 offense, 4 defense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2016 (Cotton Bowl vs. Wis - consin, L 24-16) MAC Championships (last): 3 (2016) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Jon Wassink (1,411 yards, 14 TD, 4 INT) Rushing: Jamauri Bogan (589 yards, 3 TD) Receiving: D'Wayne Eskridge (506 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: Stefan Claiborne (64) Sacks: Antonio Balabani (4) Interceptions: Sam Beal (2)